332 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
tries to increase its emotional appeal by associating itself with impressive
Mercy objects, persons, and experiences. For instance, the seminar speaker
may sell his theory with a thirty minute television commercial full of
convincing speech and testimonials from famous people. Similarly, a
company may attempt to increase its stature by erecting a huge corporate
headquarters. This Mercy ambiance creates the impression of a global
corporation with international connections, worldwide holdings, and
diversified products. In the same way, a religious group can „extend‟ the
domain of its doctrines by improving the appearance and the size of its
church building.
But what if everyone on the block has a large house and a new car?
What if all the religious groups have their own magnificent buildings?
What if every successful seminar speaker has his own infomercial? Then
the only answer is to tear down the old and to build something even bigger
and more impressive. Eventually, the point is reached at which the whole
neighborhood is composed of huge homes, each filling most of the
building lot with three stories of living grandeur. Likewise, every
denomination and each belief has its own impressive sanctuary, used at
most for only a few hours each week.A In both material and non-material
ways, each pseudo-theory bulges with Mercy connotations.
Meanwhile, true Teacher understanding is lost. On the one hand, the
intellectual clamor of petty monarchs defending personal „turf‟ drowns out
the steady and peaceful signal of universal understanding. On the other
hand, each pseudo-theory hoards the few Teacher facts which it possesses,
restricting the intellectual interaction upon which true Teacher
understanding is based.B
A That is the situation now in Vancouver, Canada where I live. The new
subdivisions are full of what people call „monster homes.‟ Likewise, our
suburb of Abbotsford has about 100,000 inhabitants and over one hundred
„places of worship.‟
B Genuine Teacher comprehension does not have to worry about having its
ideas stolen. That is because it can always use Teacher thought to come up
with more material. A pseudo-theory, in contrast, must hold on to its